Ernest Rey Calhoon is a Democratic candidate for California Assembly, 79th district, in San Diego County. He has been removed from the ballot because it appears the petitioner wrote in the addresses of a few signers of his petition (which only required 40 signatures). Election officials believe that the law requires that the petition signer himself or herself must also write in that voter’s address on petitions.
He sued to regain a spot on the ballot, and his lawsuit is pending in Superior Court. Calhoon v Weber, 26WM000063. On March 23, he submitted “new evidence” that the Secretary of State hosted a fund-raising event for his incumbent opponent, Assemblymember Lashae Sharp-Collins, which he believes shows that the decision to remove him from the ballot might have been the result of favoritism on the part of the Secretary of State. Here is his filing.
Does the law actually require it? I’ve heard conflicting answers as to whether that’s the law, Secretary of state rule, or internal petition company rules to make it easier for them to catch fraud.
Please don’t ask me to read legal filings, law codes, pdfs, or research it myself if you decide to answer. I’m long out of that business, not even slightly interested in going back (or ever even visiting California again), and only mildly curious.
The law is internally contradictory.